No more tuna fish

Blogpost by Andrew - 20 July, 2006 at 19:37

Great article in the New York Times this week about the alarming decline in Mediterranean blue fin tuna populations. The Esperanza was there a few weeks ago. It's crew found a lot of fishing boats, but not a lot of fish. Recent reports released by Greenpeace and WWF recently both highlighted how bad things were in the Med. From the NY Times article:

"Many edible fish stocks in the Mediterranean and its extension, the Adriatic, have sharply declined in the past decade because of pollution and intensive fishing, including crayfish and John Dory, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

In Croatia, much of the fish eaten at seaside resorts is imported from as far away as the United States."

"But it is the bluefin tuna that is in crisis, thanks to a new and lucrative European network of fishing and fish farming companies that provide the prized fish to sushi and sashimi markets in Japan."

"With tuna prices going as high as $15 a pound in Tokyo, European trawlers fish for tuna aggressively and illegally, far exceeding international quotas meant to protect the species, scientists said. Compounding the problem is the recent development of tuna fattening farms in Croatia, Spain, Turkey and other Mediterranean countries."

"Now, even small juvenile tuna, captured in the few corners of the Mediterranean where the species still breeds or even from the Atlantic, can be brought to the vast underwater cages that line the Croatian coast, where they are fed for months or years until they are ready for market."

More and marine reserves is the answer. Sign up as an Ocean Defender to help get them.